


redemption lies plainly and true

by pillowcreek



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redemption, Reformed Edward Nygma, Reformed Harvey Dent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:40:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pillowcreek/pseuds/pillowcreek
Summary: Harvey and Ed are reformed and trying to keep it that way for once. Harvey is working as a lawyer again, helping those recently released from Arkham and fellow mentally ill offenders. Ed's opened his own PI business and is trying to make a name for himself for the right reasons.
Relationships: Harvey Dent/Edward Nygma
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just going to be a mashup of a few different canons, since who can keep anything in DC straight. In this AU, Harvey and Ed both know Bruce is Batman.
> 
> Title comes from the song Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths

Harvey doesn't sleep well anymore. It had begun years ago, just after the accident. First it had been a combination of unbearable pain mixed with horrible nightmares. It didn't matter how much morphine they gave him, he woke up screaming with his left side  _ burning.  _ As the skin began to heal and fade from the angry red to the reddish purple it was now, the physical pain let up and he began to sleep for longer than a few minutes at a time. But the psychological pain never left. If anything, it just got worse over the years he'd spent as Two-Face. 

And now? He was just used to not sleeping much. Used to waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and shaking from a dream he couldn't remember. The sleeping pills he'd been given helped. He couldn't remember his nightmares now. But they were still a part of his subconscious, waiting to knock him off balance at an inopportune moment. 

The worst had been when he'd been talking to a client and got up to get a file, only to find himself on the floor, his head spinning and his client asking if he was okay. He was. He'd just gotten a glimpse at the potted plant in the corner of his office and it had triggered something inside of him. Harvey had waited until the client left, and then spent a solid half hour staring at the plant, trying to remember the memory it had stirred up. But nothing. Even Two-Face had been stumped when he'd tried bringing him up. 

(Harvey had left the plant outside Ivy's apartment. Better not to risk a repeat incident. Those tended to come with some vomit.) 

A hand smacked against his face and Two-Face growled in his ear. 

_ It's just Ed,  _ Harvey reminded him. 

_ Stupid violent sleeper…  _ he grumbled. 

Harvey rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms gently around Ed, careful to pin his arms without waking him. The sleeping man mumbled "strawberry's better though" and shuffled closer to Harvey. He took a peek at the alarm clock on the nightstand behind Eddie. 5:29. Not that long before he'd be waking up, but too early to wake him. Even if he was now drooling on Harvey's t-shirt. 

It had taken them a while to adjust to sleeping together. Sure, they had done the other meaning of sleeping together plenty before - long before they both decided to get their acts together - but sleeping together, trusting that the other wouldn't murder them in their sleep, was a lot harder to do. It didn't help that Eddie was a particularly active sleeper. There was one memorable occasion that he'd rolled onto Harvey in the middle of the night and the two of them had ended up on the floor a second later, Two-Face's gun pressed to Eddie's head as the other man startled awake. 

New rule: Harvey could keep his guns in the bedroom, but Ed hid the chambers. 

That rule would eventually become defunct as they learned to sleep without weapons within reach. Not that they weren't well protected if someone did try to kill them in the middle of the night. Harvey was more than adept at taking someone down barehanded, and Eddie could use anything as a bludgeon. 

Not that they did that anymore. 

But still. 

Just in case. 

It was nice to know. 

Harvey slid his hand down Ed's bare back, silently counting each individual vertebrae. As though one might have gone missing in the middle of the night. Ed squirmed as his fingers brush over a hickey he'd left the night before. "Harv…" he mumbled, still fast asleep.

Harvey grinned and resisted the urge to kiss his partner awake. It was worth it for these early mornings. All of the hardships, all the work they'd put in, all of it allowed him to lie in bed listening to Eddie snore softly. He tried not to feel too guilty for enjoying it. 

_ "You were sick, Harv,"  _ Bruce's voice in his head reminds him.  _ "If you lose yourself in the guilt and the blame, you'll never escape the anger. Do good now. Fix things."  _

He was trying. Every day he woke up and tried to make Gotham a safer place. He knew that it was already safer by not having him terrorize it, but there was still work to do. Work he had abandoned and actively undone for the last decade. He knew better now. He knew how to help. He could see where the city was breaking and how to fix its cracks. 

Getting Arkham under control was out of the question for him. Harvey preferred to leave that side of things up to Bruce's daytime persona, focusing instead on the recently released patients. Making sure they had stable jobs and housing, were taking their medications. Many of them had been experimented on during Strange's years of control, and that required a whole different type of support. 

And when they fell, as so many of them did, Harvey was there to argue their case. He provided legal counsel and representation. Turns out that when you're a terrifying gang leader, no one really wants to be the one to disbar you. Comes in handy when returning to civilian life. Harvey had been able to start defending clients instantly. 

He'd never felt prouder than the night he'd been working late and Batman swung through his window to ask him to "first put the stapler down Harvey, I'm not here to arrest you. I just need your help on a case." A kid who killed their abusive parent who just so happened to be a cop. The other cops were not exactly gentle bringing them in. Harvey was happy to let Two-Face make the introductions when they arrived at the police station where the kid was being held. He had the angrier part of himself largely under control, but he liked letting others' fear dictate interactions sometimes (a trick he'd learned from Bruce), especially when it came to shitbag cops. They were lucky he'd kept from blowing their brains out. 

_ "You don't need to break their bones, Harv," Bruce had said as Harvey watched him pull on the cowl. "You just need them to think that you might."  _

Edward's alarm clock went off with a loud ringing, and he stirred in Harvey's arms. Harvey leaned across him to turn off the alarm, then gently brushed Eddie's hair out of his eyes. "Good morning." 

Ed made a vague grumbling sound and clutched Harvey's shirt tightly as he buried his face in his chest. "Ew, you're all wet." 

Harvey snorted. "That's your drool." 

"I do  _ not _ drool," Eddie said, sitting up and stretching. Harvey shifted so that he could keep his arms around his waist without getting up. 

"You do. And you snore." 

"Do not." 

"Like a tiny bulldog." 

"Rude."

Harvey kissed Ed's hip. "Do we have to go in to work today? Couldn't we just spend the day here?" 

"Not if you want to stay in coffee for the rest of the month," Eddie said, running a hand through Harvey's hair. This early in the morning, the only difference in the halves was the colour; chestnut brown on the right, and a bright shock of white on the left. Later, after Harvey had combed it, the brown would lie flat and neat, while the white stayed wild, refusing to be tamed. 

"Coffee is good…" Harvey mused. 

_ Coffee is definitely preferable to sex right now,  _ Two-Face grumbled.  _ We need coffee. Now. _

"Okay, okay…" Harvey muttered, rolling away from Ed. "Coffee it is." 

"Wait." Ed pulled him back over by his shirt and kissed him firmly on the lips. "Good morning." 

"You have terrible morning breath," Harvey replied before kissing him again. "Also you snore. And drool." 

"None of those are true." Edward got out of bed and gave Harvey a cheeky smile. "I'm going to have a shower. Want to join me?" 

Harvey glanced over at the coin laying next to the bed. He didn't like to use it often. He was trying to break his reliance on it. But… 

As soon as his fist closed around the coin, Ed's hand was on top of his. "You can flip, but I decide the choices." 

Harvey hesitated. "Okay." 

"Heads… you join me in the shower and make good use of your mouth. Tails, you join me in the shower and I show you a good time." 

Harvey smirked. "I think I can live with those choices." 

Coffee could wait just a little longer. 


	2. Chapter 2

Wandering the Gotham sewers with his partner's ex was not Edward's idea of a good Friday night. He didn't think it was a particularly enjoyable experience at any time, but the fact that he should be sitting in a booth at the Iceberg Lounge, getting drunk with Harley right now, did sour the experience just a touch more. 

"This way," Batman growled, turning down a corridor Edward could swear they already walked down. They had definitely passed that giant rat before. 

"One, you don't have to do the stupid gravel voice, it's just us here," Edward said. "Two, you've gotten us lost."

Bruce ignored his jab about his voice. "We're not lost. I know exactly where we are." 

"We've been going around in circles for hours." 

"It has been forty-five minutes." 

"Ha! So you admit that we're lost." 

Batman-Bruce sighed. "We are not lost." 

Batman, the man who had kicked the crap out of Edward on multiple occasions, actually being Bruce Wayne, who once sprained his ankle getting out of his limousine, had stung Edward's pride more than he'd like to admit. He'd figured it out on his own, of course, but it was still a shock when Batman, standing in the middle of one of Riddler's death traps, slowly removed his cowl and confirmed his theory. He'd stood there scowling at Edward like he was already planning all the ways to hurt him once he'd freed himself. 

(It had hurt. A lot. Three broken fingers and a fractured tibia, not to mention any number of scraps and bruises.) 

Edward hadn't bothered staying in Arkham after his wounds healed. He quickly escaped and made his way to Wayne Manor, where he'd very loudly intruded on a family dinner. 

"And do your kids know?" he'd been shouting. "Do they stay- Oh my gosh you used them as Robins, didn't you?" 

He'd managed to escape that encounter without returning to Arkham, but he did get a pretty nasty bullet wound in his shoulder from the second Robin? He guessed? The dead then not dead one.

He'd ended up at Two-Face's hideout, blood dripping on his kitchen floor as Harvey cut out the bullet and Ed ranted. 

"I can't believe that he's just throwing his kids into danger like that! I mean, I always wondered about them, because Wayne kept picking up random children and none of them seemed to come from an agency, but FUCK, Harv, can you be careful there?!"

"Shut up and drink your whiskey," Two-Face growled, dropping the bloody bullet on the table. 

Edward muttered a few choice insults under his breath before taking a long swallow from the bottle Harvey had given him. "You're not suitably surprised." 

Harvey glanced up from threading the needle. "I've slept with both Bruce Wayne and Batman. You think I can't tell it's the same body?" 

He felt his ears go red. They hadn't started having sex at that point, despite Ed very much wanting to, and the reminder that Harvey had slept with people who weren't him was more than a little angering. "Yes, well- But- Ugh!" 

"You're just mad I knew before you did." 

"Of course I am! I'm  _ me _ ! I should have been the first one to figure it out! ...Do you think Joker knows?" 

Harvey snorted. "Give yourself a little credit, Ed. You're smarter than the Joker at the very least. Now stop moving, I need to stitch this up." 

As far as Ed knew, Joker was still in the dark about Batman's true identity. He was fairly certain most of the Rogues were. Harley had figured it out shortly after she started trying to be a hero (to relatively little success according to the streets of Gotham, who considered her to be the same level as the Red Hood: someone to be avoided and disliked, but at least they were killing the "right" people). Ivy knew, but Edward had no idea when she figured it out. He told himself that it was after he did. 

"We're here," Bruce said. 

Ed looked up at the slime-covered ladder. "I really do hate you." 

"You've tried to kill me dozens of times." 

"You got to break my bones for that!" 

"You've committed-" Batman cut himself off with a sigh, letting the word  _ murder  _ dangle in the air like a noose for Ed to hang himself on. 

Ed kicked the ladder, letting the ring of its vibration ground himself. "Whatever. Where does this come out anyways?" 

The group they had been tracking were a gang of small time crooks responsible for a new wave of robberies on the lower west side of Gotham over the past month. Bruce had asked for his assistance on the case, an act he claimed was because the Gotham heroes were stretched thin at the moment, but Ed knew it was really so that Bruce could keep an eye on him. While he had full belief in Harvey, Bruce's trust had never really lasted that long when it came to Edward's recovery. Maybe it was because he hadn't met Ed before he became the Riddler. Or maybe it was because he knew that he bored easily. Either way, Edward had found himself being called onto Batman's cases whenever his PI work had become a little slow. 

"The Iceberg Lounge," Batman said. "Or the alley right behind it anyways. They're probably trying to strike up a working relationship with Penguin."

"He is a decent fence." Edward stepped back. "After you." 

He followed Batman up the ladder, thankful that he'd worn gloves. Some days it felt weird to continue wearing outfits from his Riddler days, but most it felt… right. An acknowledgement of where he'd been, a commitment to being remembered for something other than misery. Plus, it looked good. Green was definitely his colour. 

It was a relief to feel the fresh cool air of a Gotham night after being stuck in the sewers for so long. Bruce might be content to wander around down there for hours, but Edward preferred not to exist in the same space as waste. And also rats. Killer Croc had to be doing something to those rats, they were terrifyingly huge. 

Batman was about to kick in the side door to the Iceberg Lounge when Edward stopped him. "Maybe you should let me lead. Most criminals hit the deck when they see you." 

"Fine." 

Edward entered the kitchen of the Iceberg Lounge  _ without  _ breaking the door down. He was sure Oswald would appreciate that. Some of the kitchen staff recognized him from back when he and Oswald had tried dating, and he got a few friendly nods. The few greetings he got died in the staff's throats when they saw his companion. One worker hurried out of the kitchen to alert Oswald.

"We've definitely lost the element of surprise," Batman muttered, skulking ominously beside Edward as he strolled through the kitchen. He hummed thoughtfully. 

"Only if they got right through to Penguin. Oswald makes everyone wait though, especially small time crooks. He has enough of them come through. There's no guarantee that they'll even get through to him."

"Here's hoping," Batman said as they entered the main dining hall. 

As much as Edward hated to praise Penguin, he had to admit that the Iceberg Lounge was spectacular. The center of the dining hall was taken up by a large indoor ice pool, home to a variety of penguins and seals. There were two levels of seating, with the balcony seats most sought after due to the spectacular view. Even the ground floor booths were opulent, with plush seating that made it a popular spot for civilians and Rogues alike. 

Unfortunately, it also attracted a number of the boring, garden variety criminals in Gotham, a fact Edward was quickly reminded of as a shower of bullets rained down on them: Batman for being Batman, and Edward for being the complete idiot standing next to him. 

The Bat immediately sprang into action, shielding himself with his cape and running towards the idiots who thought they would be the ones to bring down the legend. Edward chose to duck under a table, keeping himself out of the way of both bullets and the stampede of patrons either trying not to get shot or returning fire. Or firing at Batman and Ed.

_ Oswald is definitely going to kill us for this,  _ Edward thought as a bullet shattered the mirror behind him. Edward gritted his teeth and wished he hadn't left his cane at home today. 

A pitcher of water smashed against the head of a gang member shooting at him, glass shattering into his face. Someone dove under the table next to Edward, flipping it to provide better cover. He looked over and beamed. 

"Sugar! What are you doing here?" 

"Harley told me we were meeting you. This is  _ not  _ what I expected," Harvey said, pulling his guns out. 

"No, I was hoping I could go home and shower first," Edward said. "I don't like going out covered in sewage. I was supposed to be done with Batman hours ago, but-"

"But here we are." Harvey fired a few shots over the top of the table. "No weapons?" 

"It will just be reconnaissance," Edward said in a gruff imitation of Batman's voice. "No engagement. Done in an hour." 

Harvey snorted. "And you believed him?" 

"I thought part of this whole deal was to become more trusting?" 

"Trusting. Not stupid." A canister of tear gas landed at their feet and Harvey quickly threw it back over the table, followed by a few shots at its owner. 

"Don't forget-" 

"No killing. I know, Ed." 

"Hiya boys!" Harley skated past. Where did she keep her skates? Did she just have dozens of pairs stashed around the city for when she needed them? "No weapons, Riddler?" 

Edward pouted. "The one time I leave my cane at home…" 

"STOP!" A voice bellowed from the second floor. The gunfire and general chaos stopped immediately. Penguin glared down at them, his eyes narrowing as his gaze came to rest on Batman. Bruce had most of the robbers incapacitated, his foot on one's stomach as he questioned him. "Must this happen every time you come by, Batman?" 

"I'm not the one who opened fire in a room full of civilians," he replied. 

"Just…" Penguin snapped his fingers at him a few times before giving up. "Everybody out. We need to clean up this mess." 

"What do ya think?" Harley asked as Edward and Harvey got to their feet. "Rusty Eatery or Tin Dog?" 

"Rusty," Edward said. "Their takeout's better and I am in desperate need of a shower." 

"Yeah… I wasn't going to say anything, but you smell like actual shit." 

He sighed. "I think it is." 

An hour later, Edward's laying on the couch, his head resting on Harvey's thigh. Harley was sprawled on the floor, eating fries and flipping through Netflix. "Why is it so much harder to pick something to watch once you've already got food?" 

"Probably something to do with matching tastes," Harvey said. He was running his fingers through Ed's wet hair, making his heart skip the occasional beat. Edward turned his head to kiss his wrist. 

"Just put on Jeopardy," he said. They both groaned. 

"You know you're unbearable when we watch that," Harvey said. 

"You suck during competition shows. Your boyfriend sucks during procedurals. Finding the right show to watch together is the worst," Harley said. 

"You cry during every romcom," Edward said. 

"That's what you're supposed to do." Harley gasped. "Can we watch Planet Earth? I hate watching it with Red, she always starts ranting."

"Ooo yes, can we watch the episode with the pygmy sloth?" 

"Ugh, no, I'm already dealing with two lovesick idiots. Let's watch the polar bears." 

Ed wants to protest that they're not that bad, but Harvey's thumb brushes across his cheek and he grins. No point in pretending to be somebody he's not. He is absolutely a lovesick fool. 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr @thenightcrowd


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